November 10, 2007
[OHSWEKEN, ON] - A unified voice is creating an impact for tourism across Ontario’s south central shore, including its aboriginal business community. The Six Nations/New Credit Marketing Collective is a Collaborative Tourism Marketing (CTM) Association that has partnered with 5 regions, taking in the City of Brantford & Six Nations / New Credit (SN/NC) business community.
“Tourists don’t follow boundaries; they are looking for an experience,” says Susan Sager, of Tourism Brantford. Before the Marketing Collective began, there was no formal agreement with the Aboriginal community, and Sager says “with the Six Nations as neighbors, we have this unique history and culture nearby, and that was a big piece of the puzzle that was missing. We were able to provide a unique selling proposition to consumers, and it made good business sense to develop marketing together.”
The collective began in 1999, and received developmental support from the Two Rivers Community Development Corporation in 2000. Since then, the group has planned and implemented a cost- shared marketing campaign for tourism and has ensured Aboriginal input at the local, regional and provincial tourism planning table. A spin off benefit has been the networking that has resulted between all the participants, which has resulted in improved relations with municipal and regional partners.
“Partnerships are like marriages – you need trust; everyone needs to follow through on their promises,” says Sager. “There are sensitivities working between cultures, which means the process can take longer, but the end product is much better. I feel there is a mutual level of respect for the parties involved.”
The Collective has actively leveraged funds and contributed hands-on to help new projects to grow, with the money coming in equal thirds from the City of Brantford, Brant County and the SN/NC community. This has allowed for up to three times the exposure and the ability to tap into new audiences with a stronger presence in this very competitive field. As part of its tourism and marketing plans, the collective has produced several full-colour promotional pieces featuring the tag line "Ontario’s South Coast and beyond". The advertising benefit of the Discovery Guide, which promotes local business, the brochure for group tours and the presentation folders for trade shows have already shown an impact, measured by improved awareness of SN/NC tourism entities, and improved attendance at recent events.
The Marketing Collective benefits about 25 Aboriginal businesses, five tourism sites, and five events within the community SN/NC. The Collective has been nominated for a Community Economic Development for the Ontario Community Futures Development Corporation (OACFDC) Awards. The OACFDC hosts a reception at its annual conference to award the exceptional initiatives and entrepreneurs of its 61 member offices, including the Two Rivers CDC.
“We’ve come a long way, and learned so much about program planning, and project management. We’re excited to see that since 2001 tourism visitor ship has increased 14%,” says Sager. “More people are coming and spending more money, hotels are expanding, new attractions and investments are taking place. We’re not there yet, but it’s heading in the right direction. We really need each other.”
With results like this, it sounds like this is a collaboration that is here to stay.